MovieChat Forums > The Equalizer (2014) Discussion > This was as generic and bland as Great V...

This was as generic and bland as Great Value Coffee.

posted 7 years ago by robertdeaniii-1
1 reply | jump to latest

I was thrilled to watch this movie. It started well enough and I took a guess at the plot within a few minutes. However this was from the director of Training Day! Surely it wasn't going to be as basic as, say, Commando or Taken. I knew I would be surprised and taken to unexpected avenues. As the simple story progressed I waited for some kind of surprise or twist. Nothing. I then waited for some kind of character development. Nothing. I was taken aback by the lack of artistic merit. Every scene, outside the interesting dialogue between our hero and the unfortunate lady, were the same tired action sequences I have seen for twenty years. At no point was I worried our hero would fail to slaughter every man in his path, with relative ease, and little to no danger to himself. And sadly I was right. Hopefully the sequel will have some flavor :)

[–] mathmaniac 7 years ago

I really enjoyed this movie and I wasn't looking for any of the things mentioned. It was just a sweet ride!

I recently watched 'The Magnificent Seven' starring Denzel Washington and a lot of other good actors. During both movies, the thought occurred to me: 'What would it be like if you KNEW that you could enter a dangerous situation and your training would kick in, your instincts and reflexes would be superb, and you were guaranteed to emerge leaving the carnage of evil forces in your wake?'

If there was a way to guarantee that, it would make for a dull movie. There has to be the threat of losing or the goal being just out of your grasp. ('R.I.P. seems to start with such a guarantee but the fun part of the movie is realizing it is not going to be easy...)

I hope there's a sequel. I haven't been interested in seeing Denzel Washington act in a while and this revived my interest. He was just right for the part.